Vanishing Act
by Whurmy
Summary: A summer romance leaves Alex alone and confused. Two years later, fate and disease thrust Alex and her flame back into each other's lives. Will Alex hold onto her grudge, or give her first love a second chance? Alex/Sonny, Demena.
1. I Tim McGraw

**Author's Note: I know. I know. Why haven't I updated Tame Me? Because I've been on a serious Demena kick lately. I know exactly where I'm going with this. And I like it. A big thank you to my new Beta, Miss Jammies. (:**

**Anyways. Inspired by Tim McGraw – Taylor Swift. (:**

**-x-**

"It's not as bad as people make it out to be." Alex smiled at the shock in Sonny's voice.

"You mean you approve of my snuggling methods?" Sonny scoffed and lightly poked Alex's cheek.

"I meant New York, smart ass." Alex chuckled and repositioned her head on Sonny's thigh.

"Nothing is prettier than New York at night." Alex muttered. Sonny sighed dramatically and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know about that one, Alex..."

"You think you've seen better?" Sonny slumped back against the wall of the small balcony and smiled down at the mess of black hair in her lap.

"Oh yeah." Alex furrowed her brow and tore her eyes away from the city lights to look at Sonny.

"What could possibly be better than New York?" She asked with a pout. Sonny grinned and gently squeezed the fingers locked between her own.

"You." The burnt-out light made it hard to see the blush on Alex's cheeks, but Sonny caught it as she turned her head back to the city.

"How many Disney movies did you have to watch to get that one?" Sonny smiled, but didn't respond. The light squeeze she got from Alex said more than she ever could.

**-x-**

Alex rocked back and forth on her heels outside apartment 3A. She'd tried calling Sonny that morning, but every time it just went to voice mail. Although it wasn't like the other girl, Alex guessed she was just sleeping in. Judging by how long it took someone to answer the door, it didn't seem so far fetched. Until a man in a business suit answered the door, obviously just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

"Is, uh, is Sonny...? Here?" Alex squeezed her eyes shut and mentally slapped herself. _Smooth, Russo._

"Oh." Mister Suit sighed and smiled weakly at her. "You must be Alex." She nodded and smiled back sweetly, the special smile that worked wonders on adults.

"Yes sir! Is Sonny home?" She tried again, attempting to discreetly crane her neck to see past him. He frowned slightly and sighed again, running a hand through short jet black hair.

"She doesn't live here, kiddo." Alex stopped and just stared, half amused and half highly confused. "I'm just her uncle. She lives in Wisconsin." Amused lost. Confused was winning.

"W-wait. What? No, I just saw her yesterday." He shifted nervously, trying to look anywhere but at her. "Where is she?" Confused was losing.

"I'm sorry, kiddo. She went home." Fear won.

**-x-**

**I know. It's super short. But I swear, Updates will probably be way. Way longer. And I actually know where I'm going! So. Yes. (: Review? Please? I'm new to Demena, so I need opinions. I'll give you candy. :***


	2. II Goodbye

**Author's Note: I actually have an outline for this. Like. A real outline. I know. It shocked me too. But uh. Anyways. I really hope you enjoy, and a GIGANTIC thank you to Jamie, my amazing Beta. (:**

**And thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I was really worried that I wouldn't pull off a Sonny/Alex, so really, thank you. (:**

**-x-**

Two Years Later

Alex fidgeted with the end of her scarf, her bottom lip firmly between her teeth. It was a beautiful October day, the few golden and scarlet leaves on the ground made the small park look like a postcard. She briefly considered taking a picture with her phone, no matter how choppy it would be. A familiar English accent reminded her that taking a beautiful picture of a sad day would only make the day hurt more.

"Hey, Alex." Mason said cheerily. Alex looked up at her ex-boyfriend, a small smile on her lips. She hated today.

"Hey, you." She twisted in her seat to face Mason, giving him a one-armed hug.

"How've you been?" It felt so strange to talk to him like this. Just months ago, he wouldn't have had to ask. They would have spent every minute of every day together, totally inseparable. He never used to ask, he knew because he was there.

"I've been alright. I've missed you." After they'd been forced to break up, Alex realized she wasn't upset as much as she probably should have been. She missed Mason so much, but she felt like an idiot for not realizing _how_ she missed him. Breaking up had hit Mason hard, and Alex was more than happy to give him space if he needed it. "But..." She just wasn't happy to give him this much space. "I have to tell you something." Mason frowned, but nodded.

"Alright." He said cautiously. Alex ran a hand through her hair and gave Mason a sad look. It seemed like she gave him more bad news than good news.

"I'm moving." He almost looked relieved and Alex's stomach sank. "To California." His face fell and he turned away from her, his eyes looking anywhere but her.

"Oh." His voice was so low that Alex wasn't even sure he'd said anything. A thick silence covered them and Alex really wished the rest of the world would quit looking so damn cheery while she sat here to be the bearer of bad news. She was really good at breaking this guy's heart.

"Mason, I..." She what? She was sorry? Sorry couldn't fix this, and Mason would just point out that it wasn't her fault. They'd all know they'd be forced to move sooner or later, but no one thought it would be to the other side of the country. "I'm sorry." But it was all she could say.

"It's not your fault." No, but she wished it was. She wished this was just one of her crazy schemes, that she could just wave her wand and everything would be better. "For your dad?" Alex nodded and he smiled sadly. "Then I'm glad you're going." Alex tired to smile back, she really did. Instead, she found herself tucked under Mason's arm and trying so hard not to let him see her cry.

**-x-**

Alex didn't bother to hold in her sigh as she nervously stepped into her bedroom. Her old, empty bedroom. It was so wrong to see it this way. She had so many rugs on the ground, she often forgot that her room had wooden flooring. Now the room was bare, the windows open to let it the crisp air and chase away the smell of her body spray, perfume, shampoo and laundry detergent. She sighed again, slightly sadder, twice as defeated. She sulked over to her closet and kneeled in the doorway, brushing away the dust and taking in a deep breath. She couldn't leave this here.

Her fingers slid across the floor until she touched the slightly discolored planks. She hesitated, but gently pried the boards up reached a hand in, thankful that she didn't feel any spiders or webs. She carefully pulled the intricate cherry wood music box out of the thin slot in the floor and smiled when she saw it. She slid the floorboards back into place and backed out of the closet. Her fingers glided over the lid, the built in picture frame making a bittersweet smile pull at her lips. She brushed the dirt off the glass and traced a finger along the perfectly pale face smiling up at her.

"Hey." Alex looked up from the box and smiled at Harper. She hadn't even heard her come upstairs.

"Hey." Alex replied, her voice low, eyes red. Harper joined her on the floor and nudged Alex with her shoulder.

"You okay?"

"How could I not be, when you're wearing a hat like that?" Alex poked the beanie baby on the brim of Harper's cowboy hat and chuckled.

"Hey, Speedy is happy to be seeing the outside world." Harper defended.

"Speedy?"

"Yeah? He's a cheetah? Duh." Alex snorted and set the box down to wrap both arms around one of Harper's. Harper smiled and leaned her head against Alex's.

"No, I'm not okay."

"You will be." Alex hummed in response, but said nothing more, content to just be with Harper. "You'll call every day, won't you?" Alex grinned and pulled back from her best friend with a smile.

"And text you every minute."

"Alex! Let's go!" Alex frowned at her mother's voice echoing through the apartment, but got up with a sigh. She'd been doing that a lot lately. She linked arms with Harper, music box securely in hand, and they reluctantly walked downstairs.

"I'll come and visit, you know." Alex said, a real smile on her face. Harper nodded and returned the smile, but didn't say anything. It wouldn't be the same. They ducked to avoid the pipe as they came into the basement that once served as a garage and, until recently, Harper's bedroom. It was as bitterly empty as the rest of the four story building, minus the new SUV they'd been able to afford after selling the sub station. After selling their home.

"I'm gonna miss you, Alex." Harper murmured. Alex bit her lip and set the box down to throw her arms around Harper. Hell, the other half of _her_. She squeezed her eyes shut hard and mentally scolded herself for hating this so much. She was being selfish.

"Are you sure you don't wanna come with us?" She already knew the answer, but she had to try.

"I can't, Lex." Alex laughed, maybe a little harder than the nickname called for, but she couldn't cry. Not in front of Harper. She had to be strong.

"I know." She hugged Harper tighter, so hard she was surprised the other girl could still breathe. "I had to try." Harper smiled and pulled away, Alex was glad. She didn't know how much longer she could last. Harper's eyes were red and Alex knew she looked as horrible as Harper did right now. She found it funny, almost, that they were trying so damn hard to keep themselves together for each other. Alex knew Harper was a mess, and vice verse. They both wanted to break down and cling on to each other with promises of never leaving. But instead, Alex gave her another bone crushing hug and clamored into the very back of the large SUV.

She tried so hard, she really did, but she couldn't hold back the most pitiful sob she'd ever heard as she waved to Harper through the back windshield.


	3. III Disease

**Author's Note: I was gonna wait for Jammies, but I was just so excited to post this, she'll have to tackle me later. :( I love you, Jammies!**

**There was more to this, but it just. Didn't flow well with the flash back, so it got pushed back a chapter. Anywho, enjoy. (:**

**-x-**

_Jerry was sick. Alex could remember waiting impatiently, mentally cursing her parents for taking so long to have their pre-meeting meeting. So Random was coming on in five minutes. In retrospect, she probably should have realized that something was seriously wrong if Theresa was missing Mackenzie Falls to have a family meeting. She hadn't missed a single episode of the over-the-top drama show since it had started, since the main star was her nephew. She didn't let any of them forget it either._

_When Theresa and Jerry had finally entered the wizard den, Alex didn't take notice of her parent's somber expressions. She had simply groaned and leaned her head back in an over dramatic manner, and whined._

"_Finally! What took you guys so long?"_

"_Alex, be quiet!" Alex flinched at the tone in her mother's voice. Theresa never snapped at her, not even when she managed to turn her and Jerry into Guinea Pigs and unleash them into Max's room. They'd sprayed themselves with Lysol for nearly two weeks afterward._

"_Theresa..." Jerry gently squeezed his wife's shoulder and she sighed._

"_I'm sorry." She was shaking. Her mother never shook. Hell, her breathing rarely got out of control. She was the calm and collected one, always thinking at least four steps ahead of everyone else. Alex nodded and pulled her sleeves down past her thumbs, balling them up in her fists so she didn't start shaking too. "We have something to tell you guys." None of them responded. When Alex glanced at her brothers her stomach fell. Max didn't look like Max. Max was always out of it, always in his own little world. Max didn't have problems in his world. But his eyes were dark, his jaw set and his knee bouncing. Alex could remember the last time she'd seen him this way. He was seven, and his hamster had gone missing. She remembered him crying so much that she was surprised he didn't die of dehydration. They never did find Cuddles._

_Justin wasn't looking at any of them. His hands were balled up so tight that his knuckles were turning white. His nostrils were flared and he reminded her of a volcano just before it erupted. He knew. She didn't know what he knew, but he knew _something_._

_Her eyes reluctantly returned to her parents and her stomach lurched. Whatever he knew had to suck. Were they getting their powers taken away? Were they losing the sub station? Were they flat broke because of the recession? Would they be forced to live out on the dirty streets of New York City, sleeping in boxes and eating off of-_

"_I have cancer." She remembered her fingers twitching and her heart coming to a screeching halt. She remembered the look on everyone's face, how Max's face had shattered and Justin's eyes were turning red. How her mother's eyes were downcast, how her chest was heaving with the sobs she was trying so hard to keep her children from hearing. But Jerry was the worst. He looked ashamed._

"Hey." Alex jumped, effectively knocking her out of the flashback, and turned to smile at Theresa. "You ready?" She nodded enthusiastically, linked arms with her mom and walked up the flagstone walkway of their new townhouse. She needed to get out of this clean air anyways.

**-x-**

**Review, yeah? I'll love you forever.**


	4. IV Change

**Author's Note: Hey guys! (: Just a head's up, I really do not know much about cancer. So if I say something that doesn't really make sense related to it, go ahead and tell me about it. (: Tony is so freaking awesome. Not even kidding. You're seriously the coolest guy I know.**

**This chapter is probably going to make you guys hate me though. :P**

The bed was too soft. Her old mattress was worn out and bumpy, an old hand-me-down from Justin's childhood. Springs were broken and had pushed against her back and legs, but it didn't bother Alex. She was out like a light whenever she hit the pillow anyways. She wasn't so lucky with her _new_, fluffy bed. She made a big deal out of turning around, kicking and pushing her covers to the foot of the bed, and checked the clock for what had to be the seventeenth time. Four twenty-three. "Damn it." She sat up and ran a hand through her wild hair. She wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. She pouted at the clock, but got up to pull her robe on anyways. She could go for a pickle right now.

**-x-**

She nearly tripped twice going down the straight staircase. She smiled a little when she saw her dad sitting in the overstuffed leather sofa with a cup of coffee.

"Hey, Daddy." Jerry smiled back at her and reached for the remote to turn the volume down.

"Hey, Princess." Alex sat beside him and laid her head on his shoulder. Jerry gave her a one armed hug and a kiss on her head. For a long moment they didn't say anything.

"Why are you watching an infomercial?" Alex asked with a laugh. Her dad hated regular commercials, let alone an hour of them. Jerry chuckled.

"I wasn't paying much attention to it." Jerry cleared his throat and sighed. "We need to talk, Alex." Alex nodded and pulled away to face him. She should have seen that coming.

"Okay." Her dad set his coffee aside and turned to face her.

"I have pancreatic cancer, Alex." Alex swallowed hard.

"Is that why you've lost weight?" Jerry nodded and Alex pulled the sleeves of her robe past her knuckles to wrap the material around her thumbs. "And why you've stopped eating so many burgers?" He smiled and nodded again. Alex found it a little easier to breathe when he smiled.

"You know why we moved out here, right?" She knew. LA had one of the best cancer treatment centers in the country. That's what the internet told her, anyways. "I'm really sorry that we couldn't stay in New York, Alex." Alex furrowed her brow and frowned at her father.

"What? Why would you be sorry about that?" Her voice was a bit harsher than she meant for it to be and she instantly regretted saying it. It didn't seem to affect him, though.

"Because I know how hard it was to leave Mason and Harper. And I know you don't want to start at a new school, and-"

"Dad. School is school, I'll never like it." Alex joked. "I'd rather come here so you can get better than stay with them. Mason's fine, and I'm still best friends with Harper. I could live on the other side of the world and it wouldn't ruin our friendship." Alex stated confidently. Jerry sighed. He wasn't used to the new Alex.

"I know, but..."

"But nothing, Dad. I'll be fine without them and they'll be fine without me. I wouldn't be fine without you, I was happy to move." It wasn't exactly a lie. It was the bittersweet truth. Harper and Mason weren't going anywhere, but her dad... "Don't be sorry, okay? I'm fine." Alex smiled and pointed to her face. "See? Happy." Jerry smiled weakly and nodded.

"Okay." He sniffed once and Alex really hoped he wouldn't start crying. She'd never seen her father cry. His smile grew and he stood up. "Come on, I wanna show you something." Alex breathed a sigh of relief internally and followed her father past the stairs and into the hallway.

"You want to show me your bedroom?" Jerry scoffed and shook his head.

"_No_." Alex grinned at his childish tone. "I want to show you your second room." Alex didn't have time to twist her face up in confusion before he flipped the light on in the spare bedroom. Her jaw dropped.

"An art room?" Jerry chuckled at the awe in her voice.

"I know it's probably not how you want it set up, but we had to do it without you. I wanted it to be a surprise." Alex gave her dad a watery smile and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robe.

"It's perfect, Daddy." She said before giving him a bear hug. It would have been perfect if it had dirt floors and cinder blocks for walls.

**-x-**

"Alex." Alex pushed away the hands that were shaking her and growled. "Alex, Alex get up." The covers were ripped off her body and she groaned, curled up and buried her face in her pillow. "Alex!" She whipped around with a scream and her face fell. Jerry stood over her bed, blanket in hand. She scrambled to sit up and moved her hair out of her face.

"Oh. Morning, Dad." Jerry fought to keep the smile off his face and threw the blanket over Alex's head.

"Get up, your mom's got a surprise for you."

"Kay." Alex said with a sheepish smile. Jerry walked out, shaking his head and smiling. Alex dragged herself out of bed with a groan and set out to find some clothes.

**-x-**

"Aren't you guys excited?" Alex scoffed and shook her head. "C'mon, Alex! It's Mackenzie Falls! How are you not excited?"

"It's not like it's Grey's Anatomy, mom." Theresa sighed.

"At least pretend you're excited there. It's your cousin's show. He's the reason we have half of our new furniture. Now please, quit being so negative." Alex only grunted in response. An awkward silence settled inside the car. Alex glanced in the side view mirror and couldn't help but chuckle at the oblivious, head banging Max in the back seat.

They pulled into the back lot of the studio, where a grinning Chad Dylan Cooper was waiting for them. Alex wrapped the ear buds around her iPod and slipped on her oversized sunglasses with a sigh. Theresa frowned.

"Alex, please."

"I know, Mom. I know." Alex plastered on a fake smile and stepped out of the SUV. "Chad!"

"Alexandra!" Alex fought to keep the smile on her face and reminded herself that the last time she and Chad had seen each other, she was seven. Back then ,she wouldn't let anyone call her Alex, Alex was a boy's name.

"It's Alex these days, actually." She smiled and hugged Chad quickly.

"Finally, your name's a mouthful." Alex found her smile not so fake and laughed.

"Tell me about it."

"Chad!"

"Aunt Theresa!" Chad offered his arm to her mom while Alex and Max fell into step behind them. _And so,_ Alex thought, _the tour begins._

**-x-**

Chad slowly backed away from the in depth conversation his aunt and the Mackenzie Falls writer has struck up. He smiled at a very bored looking Alex on the couch behind him and plopped down beside her with a sigh.

"Your mom is _the biggest_ Mackenzie Falls fan I have ever met." Alex laughed.

"Oh, Chad." She clapped a hand over her shoulder. "Chad, Chad, Chad. You don't know the half of it." Alex crossed her legs and shook her head. "She has every single episode on DVD. And on VHS! Just in case the DVD player breaks." Chad stared at Alex like she grew an extra head.

"Wow."

"I know." Alex said with a grin.

"Chad!" Chad jumped at the voice and turned back to his aunt with a smile. "Show me the rest of the studio?"

"Yeah! Yeah, sure!" He stood from the couch and walked to his aunt. "You wanna go see the So Random set?" Alex shot up from the couch.

"So Random? They tape So Random here?" It looked like it took a second for Chad to decipher what Alex said, but he smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. You really didn't know that?" She shook her head and started bouncing on her heels. "Max already went down there."

"What? Where's it at?"

"Room one forty-two." Chad said with a laugh as Alex tore out of the room.

**-x-**

Her palms were sweaty. _Her _palms were _sweaty_. Since when did Alex Russo get nervous enough to get sweaty palms? Since the stars of her favorite comedy show were on the other side of the door in front of her. She took a deep breath and braced herself. At worst, they didn't like her, she took Max and ran. At best... Well, she didn't know til she tried, right? She nodded to herself and turned the knob.

Max was sitting next to Grady Mitchell and Nico Harris, and all three of them had a pair of straws hanging out of their upper lips. Alex grinned at the sight and raised one eyebrow.

"Ooh er preffy." Alex blushed and laughed at Nico's attempt to speak. She didn't expect that. He looked down at the straws in his mouth and ripped them out to put on a charming smile.

"Thanks." She said nervously.

"Quit messing around, guys. Marshall's gonna be here with the new girl soon." Tawni stated from the couch next to Nico. Alex looked at Tawni with a confused look on her face.

"New girl?"

"Oh, are you her?" Tawni asked with a frown.

"No, I'm Max's sister."

"Oh!" Tawni grinned and stood to greet her. "Great! I'm Tawni Hart!" Alex laughed and shook the perfectly manicured hand offered to her.

"Alex Russo." Alex said over the jangling of Tawni's many bracelets.

"Nico's right, you are pretty." Alex blushed again and discreetly wiped her palms on her jeans. "I hope the new girl isn't as pretty as you, I don't need a newbie stealing my thunder." The door behind her swung open before she could reply.

"Okay guys, meet your new co-star, Sonny Munroe." _No fucking way._


	5. V Confrontation

**Author's Note: This is hopefully the last sad chapter for a while. Everything gets worse before it gets better, right? Don't hate me. D:**

"Okay guys, meet your new co-star, Sonny Munroe." Marshall said happily. "Now, act friendly. Get to know each other. Paint each other's nails and all that jazz. And Tawni, quit being a diva." Tawni frowned and snapped her mouth shut. Marshall mumbled something about bonding and left them with an awkward silence.

Alex stared wide eyed and slack jawed at Sonny. She remembered going with _her_ Sonny to auditions at least once a week, but there's no way this could be the same girl. Just a girl with the same name, same body and...

"Hi." The same squeaky nervous voice.

"Hello there. Nico." Nico said smoothly while taking Sonny's hand and kissing the back of it. "But you knew that." Sonny blushed and giggled.

"Grady!" Grady held his hand out in front of Sonny. "But you knew that." She stared at his hand for a moment before ignoring it.

"And I'm Sonny! But I knew that." Sonny said with a small hair flip.

"And I'm Alex! But you _definitely_ knew that." Sonny tensed up and slowly turned around. Her jaw unhinged itself when she saw _Alex Russo_ leaning against the wall. She quickly snapped out of her stupor with a grin.

"Alex! My... assistant!" She walked over and shook Alex's hand with a frantic look in her eyes. "I didn't think Marshall would have you out so early!"

"What? No, Alex isn't your-"

"Yes I am." Alex interrupted, sending Max the same glance Sonny was giving her. She really didn't want to help Sonny out right now, but she couldn't exactly freak out on her in front of her co-stars, either. Max didn't seem to get it. "I sent in the applications before we moved out here." Max nodded and turned to Nico and Grady to make fun of the new vampire movie. Alex scoffed. Max bought anything.

"So. Alex. Why don't you assist me with, uh... finding my dressing room?" Sonny didn't wait for an answer. She grabbed Alex's forearm and dragged her out into the hallway, making sure to shut the door behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm touring the beautiful studio with my friends and family." Sonny frowned at Alex's sarcasm.

"You know what I mean!"

"That's none of your business." Alex snapped. She sighed and took a step back from Sonny. "Why do you care, anyways? You didn't care about me two years ago, why would you care now?"

"Alex, you know that isn't true."

"I know that you left me without a goodbye, without an explanation! Hell, Sonny, you never told me you would even be leaving!" Sonny shushed her and she smirked. "Did you seriously just shush me?"

"Yes! I don't need everyone here..." Sonny look around nervously before continuing. "_Knowing_..."

"Knowing what exactly?" Alex grinned and spoke louder. "That you're gayer than Ellen DeGeneres or a cold-hearted bitch?" Sonny jumped and slapped a hand over Alex's mouth.

"Alex! Shush!" Alex growled and pushed Sonny's hand away.

"Calm down, I'm not out to destroy you. I'm not like you." Sonny's chest tightened and her stomach dropped.

"Alex..."

"Why did you do it? Was it just a game for you, Sonny? A little experiment?"

"What? No!" Sonny squeaked. "God, you know it wasn't like that!" Alex grimaced and crossed her arms.

"Oh, I do? Then why don't you tell me what it was like?" Sonny sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"This really isn't the place for this, Alex."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Superstar. Is Miss Summer Fling getting in your way? Let me just take care of that for you." Alex pushed past Sonny and stuck her head in the prop room. "Let's go, Max!"

"But I don't want to leave yet." Max whined.

"Too bad, we're leaving." She slammed the door shut and turned back to Sonny. "Have fun Superstar. Glad you made it to the big time." Sonny was too stunned to say anything as Alex turned and walked away.

**-x-**

Alex stopped in front of Chad's dressing room, where she could hear her mother's excited voice and Chad's exhausted one coming through the door. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists at her sides, taking slow breaths through her nose. That didn't just happen. That couldn't have just happened.

"Alex!" She groaned and nearly snapped at him before remembering that it wasn't his fault. "Alex, what are you doing?" She looked at him with a blank expression.

"We're leaving." She said slowly. There's no way he was this dense, right?

"I mean _why_ are we leaving? I thought you were Sonny's assistant." Oh.

"Yeah, that was a total lie." Alex shrugged and opened the door to Chad's room. "Mom, you about ready?" Theresa checked her watch and jumped up.

"Oh! Yes, I told your father we'd be home by four." Theresa stood and shouldered her bag. Alex slumped against the wall impatiently as her mom and brother said their goodbyes to Chad. She went to follow them out to the car, but Chad's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Hey, Alex." She repressed an agitated sigh and turned to him with a smile. "You okay?" Her own mother couldn't tell that she was tiptoeing on the line of a mental breakdown, but her long lost cousin could? She gently shrugged off his hand and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She could tell he didn't believe her, but he pulled her into a quick goodbye hug anyways. She smiled at him as they pulled apart and muttered goodbye before leaving. She almost felt like she could make it out of there in one piece, but a giant mural of Sonny's face on the wall ruined all hopes of that.

Theresa gave her a nervous glance as she exited the studio, appearing to finally notice that maybe it wasn't normal for Alex's eyes to be a little red and puffy. She didn't give her mom a chance to ask about it. She slid her sunglasses down to her eyes, turned her iPod on and slipped in the car without a word.

She ignored her family during the car ride home, instead opting to bounce her knee to the music and act like normal, carefree Alex. She'd never been that good of an actress though and she bolted out of the car as soon as it stopped in the drive way.

"Hey, Princess." Alex froze at her dad's voice and cursed herself for not being quicker. She turned her iPod off and tugged the ear buds out.

"Hey, Daddy!" She gave him a quick hug and a big smile.

"How was the tour?"

"Awesome, but it wore me out, so I'm gonna go lay down for a little bit."

"Alright, dinner'll be ready in an hour!"

"Kay!" She ran up the stairs, not even bothering to stop in and bother Justin on the way to her room. She resisted the urge to slam her door shut, closing it as normally as she could. She tossed her sunglasses on her desk and crawled underneath her covers. She took her music box off the nightstand and lay on her side. Her thumb ran across the glass and she stared at the picture underneath it.

That summer had been the best time of her life. She was head over heels in love with who she _thought_ was the perfect girl. She had Harper, she had Mason. She had her dad. Her perfectly healthy, cancer free dad.

She hugged the music box tight against her chest, making sure to cry quietly so her dad couldn't hear her.


	6. VI Sonny

**Author's Note: My only problem with this story is that Sonny doesn't have a friend outside of So Random. (Besides Chad.) This was a pretty big problem. So I stole Caitlyn. (Gasp!) Yes. Just for this one fic, Caitlyn never went to Camp Rock. She never met Mitchie. And she's lived in LA all her life.**

**Sorry the chapter's so short. The next one will be much longer. Also, I've decided to update once a week. Crazy will be updated every Wednesday. (:**

**And ADEN! I'm calling you out, bruh. Get an account so I can reply to your reviews. (:**

"Your Christmas tree looks like a rainbow threw up on it." Sonny frowned and glanced at what she thought was a very beautiful tree.

"Fuck you, Caitlyn." Caitlyn didn't reply and Sonny went back to her online Christmas shopping. She had absolutely no idea what to get her mother. She said she wanted absolutely nothing work related this year, which made this a very difficult job. Maybe she'd get her a necklace.

"Do you miss Alex?" Caitlyn asked quietly. A heavy silence set over them and Sonny slowly took her eyes off her laptop screen.

"Alex?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Just wondering." The quick answers made Caitlyn want to smile. It reminded her of the way Lorelei and Rory talked in Gilmore Girls. But judging by the look Sonny was pinning her with, smiling may not be a good move.

"No." Sonny answered flatly and focused on her shopping. The gold necklace on the left screamed at her, but was too expensive. If she bought that one, she may not have enough money to get Caitlyn a gift. The silver one on the right was simple, but pretty with a modest price. She sighed and scrolled down. Her mother hated silver.

"Not even a little?"

"Why do you care?" Sonny snapped without looking up from her screen.

"You're kidding, right?" She squeezed her eyes shut and mentally slapped herself.

"I'm sorry." All urges to shop drained from her body and she set the laptop aside. "I didn't mean it. I just... Why are you asking now? It's been a year and a half, Cait."

"Because you look like shit."

"That doesn't mean I'm thinking about Alex." Caitlyn just blinked. Sonny huffed and slouched into the sofa. "Okay, so maybe I was."

"Do you miss her?" Sonny bit the corner of her bottom lip and played with a stray thread on her sleeve.

"Yeah." Caitlyn moved from the arm chair to the couch to sit next to Sonny and sling an arm around her. Sonny leaned her head on Caitlyn's shoulder and released her sleeve to tug on the front of Caitlyn's pajama top.

"You did the right thing, Sonny."

"I know." Sonny frowned and gripped Caitlyn's shirt in her fist. "That's why it sucks so much. If I had done the wrong thing then I could blame myself. But I didn't. I did the right thing. And I can't blame me, or her or anyone else. All I can do is be mad about it." Caitlyn moved her arm down to Sonny's middle and hugged her close. She really wished Sonny was mad. "I miss her, Caitlyn."

"I know, Sonny." _God, _she wished she was mad.


	7. VII Poppy

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry that this is a day late. I've had so much shit going on the last week, it's kind of ridiculous. But I'll try to post Chapter 8 a day early to make up for it. (Try being the keyword here.) Anyways. This is seriously my favorite chapter so far. You'll see why. (:**

Alex woke up to a sharp stabbing in her shoulder and rolled onto her back with a groan. She glared at the music box beside her. Even the fake Sonny was out to get her. She pushed the box away and it slid onto the nightstand. If she didn't know any better, she'd think the slight "thunk" it made as it hit the wood was its way of saying "Haha!".

She squeezed her eyes shut against the harsh sunlight streaming past her blue curtains and reluctantly sat up. She stayed that way, arms lazily splayed out over the fluffy comforter in her lap, hair and make up a mess, staring hard at the wall across from her for several long moments. She just couldn't catch a break. She tried to remember what happened the day before, but her memory failed her. Her mind had been on overdrive the night before, she concluded that it must have blown up. All she could manage to conjure up was that Sonny was back. Kind of. Really, Alex had unknowingly hunted her down like a bloodhound.

She breathed in deeply and dramatically flopped back against her pillows. She fought the urge to glance at her nightstand, but her eyes found the cherry wood box anyways. She sighed, defeated, and reached out for it. She held it upside down above her and carefully examined the chocolate brown eyes behind the glass. She remembered taking the picture like it was yesterday.

"_Alex, I swear, if you don't put that camera down..." Sonny threatened, the small smile she wore and stuffed animal cradled against her stomach making her less intimidating than a hamster._

"_But Sonny!" Alex whined and pulled off her best puppy dog pout. Sonny didn't budge._

"_No, Lex. I look like shit."_

"_You look beautiful." Alex murmured quietly from her spot on the couch facing Sonny, keeping her camera just below her bottom lip. A light pink flooded Sonny's cheeks and she smiled shyly at Alex. Alex's finger pressed the button on the top of the camera and she smiled at the perfect picture on the small screen. She set the camera down on the counter and shuffled over to lean her head on Sonny's shoulder and wrap her arms around waist. Sonny looped an arm behind Alex's back and kissed her hair._

"_Love you, Lexy." Alex didn't know if it was the way Sonny's lips brushed against her head or if it was just from hearing her say it, but her stomach twisted and her heart slammed against her rib cage._

"_Love you, Sonny."_

Alex sniffed and got up to slide her robe on. She took the music box and started downstairs, halfheartedly mumbling a "Good morning." to Justin and Max. She declined offers of pancakes from her parents and made her way into her art room. She needed to paint.

**-x-**

Brown eyes met brown eyes, a fire in both pairs as the stare down between them intensified. One of them narrowed, the other not moving a muscle. The tension was heavy in the air and the silence was deafening. Another full sixty seconds of uncomfortable glares passed before Sonny finally huffed angrily and leaned back into the sofa.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Look, I know we've spent some time apart, but it doesn't mean I love you any less!" No response. "It doesn't have to be like this, you know. You didn't have to attack me!"

"Sonny?" Sonny yelped and jumped at the unexpected voice. She met Caitlyn's questioning eyes and tried to act normal.

"Hey, Cait." Caitlyn shifted nervously behind the sofa and looked past Sonny, then back again.

"Are you talking to a stuffed dog?" Sonny scoffed several times before replying.

"No! Don't be ridiculous. I don't talk to my stuffed animals." Sonny turned back to the dog on the coffee table with frantic eyes and hid it under the blanket. She grinned broadly and faced Caitlyn again.

"Sonny, why were you yelling at the dog?" Caitlyn asked before walking around the couch to sit beside her friend. Sonny pouted.

"He leaped out of the net over my bed and attacked me this morning." She answered sadly. Caitlyn didn't bother to hold back a smile.

"He _attacked _you?" Sonny nodded and Caitlyn laughed.

"You, my friend, have problems." Sonny smiled briefly before slouching in her seat.

"Tell me about it. You'll never guess what happened last night."

"What, did your teddy bear hunt you down?" Sonny grinned and lightly smacked Caitlyn's stomach.

"No!" Sonny twisted her fingers in her lap and sighed. "I saw Alex last night." Caitlyn's eyes widened.

"Are you serious?"

"Oh yeah. She was at the studio yesterday."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. It wasn't pretty. I was fully expecting to be slapped."

"She didn't!"

"Oh no, of course not. I mean, I could tell she wanted to. But she's classier than that. She just yelled a lot."

"Ouch."

"I know." Sonny sighed and pulled Poppy into her lap. Her thumb ran over the patch of black fur around his eyes. "She said I was gayer than Ellen DeGeneres." She smiled a little and then bit her lip. "And then called me a cold-hearted bitch." Caitlyn didn't respond, but reached over and gently squeezed Sonny's hand. "I told her to keep it down, so Tawni or Marshall didn't hear, ya know?" Sonny swallowed the growing lump in her throat. "She told me she wasn't out to destroy me, she wasn't like _me._" Caitlyn frowned and ran her thumb over the back of Sonny's hand.

"Sonny..."

"Did you bring your laptop?" Caitlyn internally sighed at the change of subject but jerked her thumb over her shoulder. Sonny grinned and gave Caitlyn's hand a quick squeeze before unraveling herself from the blanket and standing up, Poppy cradled against her stomach. "Then what are we doing out here? We've got music to make!" She grabbed Caitlyn's bag from the floor and pulled her friend into her small bedroom. She set the bag down on her bed and took a purple notebook out from under pillow. "I wrote something."

"I knew that." Caitlyn joked while unzipping her bag to pull out the laptop. Sonny stuck her tongue out at her friend and grinned. She honestly didn't know where she'd be without her.

"Hey Cait?"

"Yeah?" The brunette replied without looking up from her screen.

"Thanks." Sonny's voice was quiet and Caitlyn smiled up at her.

"Anytime."


	8. VIII Milkshakes

**Author's Note: I'm really sorry this is late, guys. I had terrible writer's block for a while, then I lost the internet. Yeah. It happens every time I get into a story, I know. :/ Anyways. Weekly updates just aren't meant to happen. Hope you guys like this chapter. (:**

Alex raised her paintbrush back up to the canvas, ready to run the brush against the white surface yet again. She didn't know whether to be happy or sad when she realized she didn't need to. It was done. She reluctantly set the brush on the small stand next to her and stepped away from the easel.

"Damn." It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. She knew she should have been happy about it, but she was really hoping she'd mess up, have a weird muscle spasm and ruin her eyes, her smile, anything. She fought back a smile, untied her old, beaten up smock and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She was half way through dialing Harper's number when she remembered she was a wizard.

She looked in the mirror on the wall across from her and laughed at her reflection. She'd have to get the paint off her face before she showed up on Harper's door step.

X

Harper's bedroom at Nana Franny's was exactly the same as the last time she'd seen it in 8th grade. Alex still didn't really understand why Harper even had a room in her grandmother's apartment, but she'd been thankful Harper had a place to go when the Russo's moved to California.

The pink and yellow kitty cat wallpaper made Alex cringe and smile at the same time. It was hideous, but it was just so Harper.

"Where _is_ Harper, anyways?" Alex mumbled, glancing around the bedroom. Harper was usually home by eight o'clock. She shrugged and fell back onto the pink blankets covering Harper's bed and stared at the ceiling. Ever since moving to California, it'd been a little harder to keep in touch than either of them planned. It seemed like Harper was always at school or on a date with Zeke. Alex wasn't upset, far from it. She missed Harper horribly, but the spare time their separation was giving her was helping to get her thoughts straightened out. "Well, I've got them all straightened out, so where the hell is she?" She questioned the unresponsive room and sat up with a huff. The sound of the door to the apartment slamming shut made her grin and for a split second, she considered hiding to scare her best friend.

Harper appeared in the doorway, eyes shut tight and body moving violently. Alex almost thought she was having some sort of seizure until she saw the white cords coming from her pocket and chuckled.

"Are you listening to Ugh again?" She yelled over the music blasting in Harper's ears. Harper screamed and whipped around to face Alex. Her shock didn't last long before she ripped the earphones out and threw herself at Alex, knocking them both back onto the bed.

"Alex!" Harper squealed. Alex laughed and tried her best to hug Harper from underneath the red head.

"Harper!" Harper finally released her and moved to sit next to her.

"I can't believe you're here! How long have you been here?" Alex didn't bother sitting up. She sighed dramatically and shrugged.

"About a year?" Harper smiled and slapped Alex's leg lightly. "Okay, okay, like five minutes. Where were you?"

"With Zeke." Alex rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Then I'm surprised you came home." Harper hit her again and she laughed.

"You're a pervert."

"A pervert with news." Alex said dramatically.

"Good or bad?" She contemplated that for a moment.

"I don't know yet. It's sort of why I need you."

"Of course you come to me with the complicated ones. I'm starting to think we're only friends so you can have a free therapist."

"Well then, Miss Finkle,"

"Most therapists go by their first name."

"Whatever." Alex stood and tossed Harper's jacket at her. "We're having this session over milkshakes."

Harper raised an eyebrow at her.

"We're not flashing there?" Alex shook her head and pulled her own jacket on.

"Nope. I need to be reacquainted with the poisonous New York air." She answered sarcastically.

"You're exercising voluntarily?" Harper asked, fluffing her hair out of the jacket. "This must be pretty big news."

"You have no idea."

X

Alex slid into the booth opposite of Harper, declining the menus the waitress offered.

"Just two vanilla shakes, please."

"Just two vanilla shakes, comin' right up." The tall blonde said with a smile before walking away.

"So, what's going on?" Harper asked casually and Alex pouted.

"What? No small talk? No 'Hey how's the weather?' or anything like that? I feel ripped off." Harper just smiled and stared at her. "Oh, fine." She sighed. "You know my cousin Chad, right?"

"No?"

"Right. My cousin's Chad Dylan Cooper." Harper squealed.

"What! No! You never told me that!"

"Harper."

"I get it, not the point. Go on."

"Thank you. Well my mom dragged me to the set of Mackenzie Falls to see him."

"Lucky!"

"Harper!" Alex whined, laughing at how excited Harper was getting. The girl looked like she was going to combust.

"Right, sorry!" Harper took a deep breath and looked at her calmly. "Go on." Alex shook her head.

"Well Mackenzie Falls and So Random are taped at the same studio... place. Anyway, Max went down to the set of So Random and my mom made me go with him, to keep an eye on him, you know?"

"Right." Harper answered with a knowing smile.

"Shut up. And I met the new girl they had just hired." Alex paused in her story to greet the returning waitress.

"That'll be four twenty-four, ladies." Harper reached for her oversized purse to pay her half, but Alex waved her off.

"I got it, Harp." She handed the waitress a ten dollar bill. "Just keep it the change."

"Thank you." The waitress said, smiling.

"No problem." Harper stared at Alex incredulously as the waitress walked away.

"What just happened?" Alex stopped using the straw as a spoon to stare back.

"What?"

"You just tipped her like six dollars."

"Yeah?" Harper kept staring. "What? She was pregnant. Extremely pregnant."

"Okay..." Harper answered, swirling her straw around in the tall glass. "So, this new girl?" Alex hummed around the straw between her teeth.

"Yep!" She answered after swallowing and squeezing her eyes shut. "Wow, that's cold. Guess who the knew girl is." Harper narrowed her eyes in thought.

"How many guesses do I have?"

"Three."

"Hmm..." Harper sat back in her seat and watched Alex carefully. "Can I ask three questions about them?" Alex sighed.

"Two."

"But I get three guesses!"

"Harper!"

"Fine." She huffed and bit her lip. "Do I know her?"

"You _knew_ her, once upon a time." Alex answered, anxiety building up in her stomach. She knew Harper wasn't going to guess right, but she wasn't really looking forward to repeating what happened at the studio. Harper scrunched her face, concentrating hard on which question to ask.

"Light or dark hair?"

"Dark hair. Darker now than the last time you saw her, actually." Harper drummed her fingernails on the table top and studied Alex carefully, thinking hard. Alex bit her lip to keep from laughing at Harper at the deep look of concentration on her face. She broke the intense eye contact and leaned froward to take a few sips of her milkshake. When she leaned back again Harper's eyes were wide.

"Was going out for milkshakes some sort of giant, yet subtle, clue?"

"You already asked two questions."

"Was it?"

"Maybe."

"Does maybe mean yes?"

"Probably." Alex said, smiling when Harper slapped her palms on the table.

"No way!"

"Way." Harper slapped the table again, this time out of victory.

"I knew it all along." Alex smiled.

"Sure, Harp." Harper smiled back at her and sobered up.

"So, what happened?" Alex shrugged with one shoulder and made a star in her milkshake with the straw.

"I was a bitch."

"And you feel _bad_ about it?" She shrugged again.

"A little."

"Alex." Harper said softly, ducking her head to catch Alex's downcast eyes. "Don't feel bad. You know what she did to you." Alex looked away again and focused solely on the swirling vanilla.

"Yeah, but... I said some harsh things and I just..." She took a deep breath, enjoying the crisp air that filled her lungs.

"Alex, it's okay." She released the breath with a huff.

"You didn't see her face, Harper. It was almost as bad as my face when she left." Alex looked at Harper desperately. Harper had to understand. If Harper didn't understand, if Harper couldn't help her fix it, then she was fucked. Alex watched the emotions swirl in Harper's eyes, the familiar anxiety setting nervous butterflies loose in her stomach.

Harper sighed and sat back in her seat.

"You're different now. Not in a bad way, but California Alex is different from New York City Alex." Alex smiled sadly at Harper.

"California isn't what changed me." Harper's lips quirked into a half smile.

"I know." Harper ran her fingers through her hair and before continuing.. "If it's really bothering you so much, maybe you should talk to her. But not just an 'I'm sorry I yelled at you, let's go back to acting like we never met.' deal, okay? Really _talk_ to her about everything. And if she had a good reason for leaving, then, _maybe_ you can apologize." Harper said bitterly. "And if she doesn't have a good reason, find your New York City Alex side again and politely tell her to fuck off."

Alex smiled at Harper. She knew this wasn't easy for her. Harper felt every twist and bump of the emotional rollercoaster Alex was thrown onto after Sonny left, she couldn't blame Harper for being mad. Alex knew she'd beat the living shit out of Zeke if he ever pulled anything like what Sonny did, but still. She couldn't stop thinking about the look on Sonny's face that day.

Alex slid out of her side of the booth and into Harper's, wrapping her arms around her best friend in a tight hug. "Thank you, Harp."

"Anytime, Lex." Harper replied, resting her cheek on Alex's head for a moment. "But I don't mean that literally. Don't get sucked into a Sonny-vortex of doom again." Alex snorted and let go of Harper.

"I won't! I'm not crazy."


	9. IX Lay Down Your Arms

**Author's Note: I had no Beta for this chapter. I never got around to asking my girlfriend, and my other two were busy, but I think it's decent. So. (: I'm sorry this one took so long. I suck at updating, I know. I hope you guys think it was worth the wait. (; Because backwards smiley faces are so much cooler than proper ones.**

"No, stop!" Alex screamed, leaned over and ripped the remote out of Max's hands. She grinned at the TV screen and bounced a little in her seat.

"Hey!" Max yelled, but he didn't move to grab the remote.

"I told you we shouldn't have gotten that channel." Justin grumbled from the arm of the couch. "We'll never get to watch normal TV again." Alex didn't look away from the screen as she reached out and shoved Justin off the couch, smirking to herself when he landed with a loud _thud_.

"Alex." Jerry warned as he walked into the living room from the kitchen. Alex's eyes widened and she turned in her seat to smile shyly at him.

"Sorry, Daddy." She said quietly. Justin jumped up from the ground and wiped the nonexistent dirt off his shirt before sitting on the love seat, far away from Alex.

"Aren't we supposed to be getting our new wizard portal today, Dad?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, it should be here any minute now." Alex jumped at the loud _BOOM_ that came from the back of the house and Jerry smiled.

"Oh, that should be it now." Justin's face lit up. He bolted off the loveseat and through the sliding glass door in the kitchen. Alex chuckled as she got off the couch to follow her brothers and Jerry out into the back yard. She hadn't really thought about the wizard competition since her parents told her they were moving. At the rate her life was going, though, the competition wasn't her biggest problem.

They all knew Justin would win anyways.

An old man with a white beard that refused to stop stepped out of their shed, waving away the blue and pink smoke billowing out of the open door.

"Professor Crumbs!" Jerry greeted, shaking the professor's hand. "Thank you so much for giving us another portal. I know each family is only supposed to get one."

"Don't worry about it, Jerry. Desperate times call for desperate measures." The old man replied with a sad smile. Alex's smile dimmed and she walked away from the conversation to inspect the new portal with Justin and Max.

Jerry sighed as he watched Alex walk away.

"How are the children taking it?" The professor asked, absently stroking his snow white beard. Jerry shrugged with one shoulder.

"We're all handling it a little differently." Jerry glanced at the professor in thought. He'd known Professor Crumbs since he was was a young boy. At times, the man was like a close relative that lived far away. "Justin's been drowning himself in books. Max has gotten quieter. He hasn't pulled a prank in God knows how long. Maybe that's a good thing, but..." Jerry paused and shook his head. He'd much rather have Max's normal antics than have Max behave because of him.

"I know what you mean, Jerry." Crumbs said, giving him a reassuring smile. Jerry nodded and attempted to smile back. "What about the girls?"

"Theresa cries every night." Jerry admitted, shoving his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants. "She tries to be strong around the kids, but when it's just us..." He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "She clings to me in her sleep, like she's trying to keep me from slipping away." He knew that was exactly what she was doing. "And Alex," He stubbed the toe of his shoe in the dirt and sighed. "Sometimes when I look at her, she just seems so lost. She'll stare out the window and her eyes will look so empty. I don't know if it's because we moved, if she just misses Harper or if it's because of the cancer, but..." He shook his head and gave Professor Crumbs a sad look. "I hate it." The old man frowned at him and patted his upper arm.

"It's not your fault, Jerry." Jerry smiled at him in thanks and fought off the tears stinging the back of his eyes. He knew it wasn't, but it didn't stop him from feeling like it was.

"Thank you." The professor smiled before straightening his back and taking in a breath.

"I must get going. A dragon got out in London early this morning and the European Magic Council needs my help with the clean up." Jerry nodded and chuckled.

"Have fun, Professor." The old man smiled at him again before saying goodbye to Alex and the boys and stepping into the wizard world.

"We're leaving!" Theresa called from the open kitchen door.

"Where are you going?" Alex asked Max as he ran by her.

"Studio. Mom wants to see Chad."

"Why are _you_ going?"

"Hang out with Nico and Grady. Wanna come?" Alex shifted on her feet as she thought about it. It would definitely give her a reason to talk to Sonny, but was she ready to? The very thought of seeing Sonny again made her want to scream, but...

She shrugged and walked with him into the house.

"Sure."

-x-

Sonny groaned and flopped back into the couch in the middle of the So Random prop room. She used to be Tawni Hart's biggest fan but since she started working with the girl, she'd had the strangest desire to strangle her.

"We're just running our lines, Tawni. You don't have to reapply your lip gloss every two minutes." She was sure that Tawni knew this, and she was almost sure she was doing it just to piss Sonny off.

"I have to look good to perform good!" Tawni defended. "Oh, look at the time! Time for my break!"

"What? Tawni!" But the blonde was already off the couch and out the door. Sonny took a deep breath through her nose and tightened her grip on her script. "She's driving me insane." She announced to no one in particular, but Grady paused the game he was playing with Nico to smile at her.

"Congratulations. You're officially a Random." She smiled back at him and loosed her death grip on the paper.

"Wasn't it official when I signed the paper work?"

"Well, if you want to be technical." He grumbled jokingly, turning back to his game. Sonny chuckled and shook her head at him. If it wasn't for him and Nico, she probably would have quit by now.

Or Tawni Hart would have suddenly gone missing. Whichever.

"Hey guys." The unfamiliar voice made Sonny jump and she turned around to see who came in. Her eyes widened when she saw Alex Russo standing just inside the room, smiling nervously at her. Sonny swallowed hard and tried to smile back. "You ready?" Max asked, repositioning the duffel bag on his shoulder.

"Ready? Ready for what?" Sonny asked as Nico and Grady shut off the game and grabbed a duffel bag from beside the TV. Nico grinned at her and patted the bag.

"Pulling some pranks on Mack Falls and friends. Wanna come?"

"Uhm..." Sonny glanced at Alex before shaking her head and smiling at the boys. "No, I'm good. You guys go ahead."

It felt like all the air was sucked out of the room when the door clicked behind Grady. Sonny's lungs froze up in her chest and she watched Alex with wide eyes. Neither of them moved for several long, painful seconds before Alex smiled nervously and made Sonny's stomach do a flip. Sonny ducked her head, blushing furiously and let her hair fall around her face like a curtain.

Alex smiled despite herself and crossed the room to sit on the end of the couch that Sonny wasn't on. Sonny didn't look up from her paper and Alex swallowed the lump in her throat. She did her best to shake off the awkward tension and looked around the prop room, at the random mannequins and the creepy sarcophagus and fought down the urge to pull her wand out of her boot and flash out.

"Congratulations." Was all she could manage to say. Sonny gave her a confused look. "On the show."

"Oh, yeah." Sonny chuckled and looked back down at the paper. "Thanks." Alex smiled at her, even if she couldn't see. She pulled and twisted her fingers in her lap as the quiet sat between them like a brick wall.

"I always knew you'd make it some day." Alex said quietly, pulling out a single brick at the bottom of the wall. Sonny blushed and smiled up at her.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You're too good not to, from what I remember." Sonny seemed to remember what happened between them and she looked down at the cushion between them.

Neither of them said anything for several painful moments and Alex's stomach twisted. This was so much harder than she thought it would be. She tried to say something, anything, but each time she opened her mouth her voice died in her throat and she remained quiet. The awkward silence stretched between them and settled on her shoulders like stone.

"Look, about the other day..." She knew Harper said not to apologize, but she was running out of options. And she didn't have many to begin with.

"It's okay." Sonny said quickly. She took a deep breath and the look she gave Alex almost made Alex feel guilty. "I deserved it." Alex looked at Sonny sadly. She wanted to disagree. She wanted to go back to that day and stop whatever made Sonny leave. She cleared her throat and shook off those thoughts. Thinking like that wasn't going to get them anywhere.

"Do you want to, maybe, go out for coffee or something sometime?" Sonny asked, pulling at the white script in her hands, pulling out another brick.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that." Alex answered. Butterflies erupted in her stomach when Sonny smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back.

Alex cleared her throat nervously when she realized that they'd been staring at each other with goofy smiles on their faces for way too long. Sonny blushed and tried to stop smiling.

"Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No, no. I'll, uh..." Alex stopped for a second and save Sonny a curious look. "What time do you get off work on Friday?" Sonny bit her lip as she consulted her mental calendar.

"Five, I think."

"Awesome. I'll be here at five, then." Sonny gave her that same face-eating grin that used to set her heart ablaze back in New York. Alex tried to ignore how her heart warmed now. Harper words echoed in her head and even though Sonny wasn't even _doing_ anything, she stood up. "I should probably get going though." She ignored the disappointed look on Sonny's face. Tried to, anyway. "See ya on Friday." It came out more like a hopeful question than a neutral reassurance.

"Yeah." Sonny answered, grinning.

Alex slipped out into the hallway and took a deep breath as she walked towards the set of Mackenzie Falls to wait for her mom.

What the hell was she getting herself into?

**Pretty, pretty please review? (Insert heart here that won't work with FF formatting.)**


	10. X Misplaced

**Author's Note: Jammies rocks my freaking socks off. Jsyk...**

**I love this chapter so much. So, so much. I can't even. UGH. I love this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy and all that jazz. (:**

**-x-**

The sound of her old converse scuffing against the sidewalk felt so wrong to her. Physically, it felt the same, it sounded the same. But each time her heel hit the concrete it hurt her ears. The warm wind that blew a few stray hairs from her cheek was welcoming, but it just didn't feel right. This wasn't the wind that flew between the tall New York buildings. California seduced her with open arms, green grass and brilliant pink and orange sunsets, but she couldn't find the strength to give in and let it be home. It would never be New York.

"We've only been here three weeks, honey. Give it time." Theresa had assured her, but it didn't help. Two weeks or three years, she would never belong here.

Alex wished she could just rewind, back to simpler days of pulling pranks on her brothers and not caring that she failed another math test. When she was never out of place. New York was _her_ city. The feel of her breath mixing with its wind was something she'd always taken for granted but she'd do anything to feel it now. To feel like she fit perfectly, like she was just another jagged piece in the beautiful masterpiece that was New York City.

Another breeze caressed her cheek and she felt disappointed in herself. Home was supposed to be where the heart is, where your family is. Her family was here, where her dad could get the help he needed to stay _alive._ So what if it wasn't _her_ city? It was the city that was going to save her dad's life. Why couldn't that be good enough? Why was she being so damn selfish?

Max bumped into her side and she jumped. She forgot he was walking with her.

"What do you think it's gonna be like?" He asked with his thumbs hooked in his backpack straps and his eyes on the street sign they'd have to turn at. Alex had been asking herself that all morning. When she was in New York, it never really occurred to her that Tribeca was a private school, with uniforms and strict rules that she never followed and ridiculous amount of homework that she never did. She was hoping that public was absolutely nothing like prep school, but she didn't even know anyone who went to public school. Well, her parents did, but that was like fifty years ago. She couldn't exactly tell her little brother that she was scared out of her mind, though.

Alex slung an arm over his shoulders and hugged him tight against her side. He would have bucked and wiped off her Alex-germs back in New York, but he just let her hug him. She may have even felt him relax a little at the gesture, but that was probably just her.

"I think it's gonna be awesome." She lied. But she was a good liar.

-X-

She was an awesome liar. She thought a lot of kids went to Tribeca Prep, that was nothing compared to this school. She almost got ran over three times, and that was just trying to go from first block to second block.

She plopped into the seat the English teacher assigned her to, after whipping out her schedule and proving to the woman that she was definitely in the correct class, and ignored the bored stares of the kids surrounding her. She pretended not to see them and took out her notebook and pen in that cool Alex Russo way like she didn't have a care in the world, and stomped down the nervous butterflies raging in her stomach. When she looked up again most eyes were back on Mrs. Wilson, but a curly haired brunette was still looking at her like she was a ghost. Or a bug or something, but she liked being a ghost better.

Alex raised her eyebrows at the girl and pointed her pencil towards the teacher, smiling that friendly Alex Russo smile that worked wonders on the kids back home, and the girl shook herself out of her stupor and turned back to the front of the class. Alex sighed in relief under her breath, slouched in the seat and put her feet up on the basket under desk in front of her. She still had it.

-X-

Alex's index fingers tapped her lunch tray nervously as she looked around the lunch room for an empty table, but she knew it was stupid to think she was actually going to find one with so many kids crowding the room. When it came down to it, she had two choices. She could dump her lunch and go outside, or she could sit down with Max and his new friends. Her stomach grumbled loudly as she glanced at her pizza. Outside wasn't an option. Max caught her eye and waved her over, smiling. She thought about it for all of half a second before she started walking towards his table. She didn't want to ruin any of his new friendships like she did with Justin that one time at the movies, but she was desperate.

Plus, these were ninth grade boys. If anything, they'd love Max for having an older sister.

"Hey, guys." She smiled sweetly at them as she sat next to Max. She blushed when two of the boys stared at her. The third boy smiled back in a way that she guessed was supposed to be charming, and reached out for her hand. She let him take it with one eyebrow raised and tried to fight back a grin when he kissed her knuckles.

"Ricardo." He answered with a smooth Mexican accent. "But you can call me Richie." He released her hand after a gentle squeeze and she bit the inside of her lip to herself keep from laughing at the look on Max's face.

"Ew, dude, that's my sister." Richie shrugged at him and went back to his smokey links and mashed potatoes. Max shuddered and Alex laughed, lazily slinging an arm over the back of his chair. She listened to them talk about the crazy Science teacher with a handlebar mustache and the skate park down the street, but her mind was stuck on the brunette staring at her from across the cafeteria. She glanced up from Max's detailed drawing of what Mr. Hanson's mustache _really_ looked like, because Luke's description was just way off, and caught the brunette's eyes. She immediately looked away, just like all the times Alex caught her staring in English, but she was starting to make Alex nervous. She shook off the girl as much as she could and took the notebook to show Max what kind of mustache he should grow.

-X-

She heard Jerry chuckle from above her, but she didn't care. She buried her face deeper into the leather cushion and groaned. She was so tired. She never thought school could be this exhausting. Trying to find her classes was bad enough alone, but, of course, she had _gym_ on her first day of school. And in public school, the teacher made you participate because your tuition money wasn't paying for her flat screen TV. She was ready to nap after the first push up, but she wanted to die after the twentieth.

Something cold and wet touched the back of her hand and she jumped up with a shriek, cradling her hand against her stomach and looking at the carpet with wild eyes. Dragon sat there, tail happily thumping the carpet and she sighed. Jerry laughed behind her and she sent him a halfhearted glare before she joined Dragon on the carpet and scratched his ears.

"I didn't even know we brought him with us."

"Oh, we didn't." He answered, sinking into his chair.

"We didn't?"

"Nope." He took a sip from his coffee and winced as it hit his tongue. He yelped and stuck his tongue out, dramatically waving his hand in front of his face to cool it off. Alex laughed and pulled Dragon into her lap.

"Then how did he get here?"

"I found him in Max's room this morning." Max came in from the kitchen, a smile on his face and a juice box in his hand. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, Max?" Max's smile grew into a smirk as he rushed up the stairs to his room.

"No idea, Dad!" Alex chuckled to herself and cupped Dragon's head in her hands.

"Well, _I'm_ glad he's here. Because he's just the cutest little Dragon in the world! Aren't you? Yes you are!" Dragon wriggled in her lap and jumped up, giving her a wet lick right in her mouth. She pushed Dragon off her lap and stuck her tongue out. "Ewww!" Jerry laughed as she ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"You shouldn't have laughed at me!" He didn't understand the reply Alex yelled back around her toothbrush. He chuckled, leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his cooled-off coffee.

**-x-**

**Don't forget to review, k?**


	11. XI Coffee

**Author's Note: I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so so sorry. I know my updates are slow. This chapter was... Intimidating is a good wood. It was tense and emotional and it just refused to come out. But! I got a sudden dose of inspiration last night and it all just rolled out. So. (: I really hope you guys like it, hopefully it hasn't been so long that you don't remember it. :P**

**-x-**

Alex cursed under her breath at the sound of a car horn and gave the button of her jeans a frustrated growl. She _knew_ the button was able to go into the damn hole, it just wasn't cooperat-

"Ha!" She screamed in victory as that stupid golden circle finally accepted its defeat.

"Alex!" She double checked to make sure her phone was in her pocket, gave her reflection a once-over and hurried down the stairs.

"Bye, love you!" She called over her shoulder, waiting for her parents to finish their "I love you too"s before clicking the door shut behind her and hurrying to the passenger's side of Chad's jet black 2010 Camaro.

"Hey, you." Chad greeted her, giving her the award-winning smile Harper wouldn't quit begging her to catch in a photo for her.

"Hey." She replied, pulling the car door closed and reaching back for her seat belt. "Thanks so much for picking me up, Chad."

"No problem. I mean, I'm always up for canceling my date on a Friday night, the only day I have off, by the way, to drive my cousin to the studio." Alex's stomach dropped.

"W-what? I didn't know. If I would have, I never would have asked-" She caught the sneaky grin on Chad's face and smacked his arm. "You shit head!" She laughed, her stomach returning to its proper setting. "I hate you!"

"I love you, too, Alex." She mock glared at him, but couldn't keep the smile off her face. He got her. He got her good. "But really, why couldn't Theresa take you? I mean, I don't mind, I really didn't have a date or anything."

"My dad had an appointment, she didn't have time." She answered as nonchalantly as possible. The appointment wasn't a big deal, just chemo. _Just chemo_ echoed in her head a thousand times before Chad responded.

"Oh." He nodded his head, sparing her a sympathetic look. She wasn't the kind of girl to want to punch someone when they said they were sorry, but she'd gotten so much of that from everyone, even Harper. Chad was a breath of fresh air, and she couldn't be more grateful for that. "So, why are you going to the studio?" The question was simple enough, but it made her brain go into overdrive.

"Just meeting up with someone." She mumbled, brushing something invisible off her jeans.

"Like... a date?" His voice was light and teasing and she knew he was just messing with her, but it didn't stop the heat from flooding her cheeks.

"No!" She answered a little too quickly, her voice an octave too high. "Not a _date._"

"Oh? Really?"

"Really." She felt like she was lying.

"Who's the lucky guy that you're _not _going on a _date_ with?" Suddenly Alex really wished the radio was on to drown out the awkward silence. "Alex, you don't have to tell me." But she wanted to.

"It's not a boy." For half a second, she was hopeful that she'd spoken too quietly and Chad hadn't heard her, but he shifted in his seat to look at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I'm not freaked out or anything, Alex. I'm not, like, a homophobe or anything." She let out a breath and smiled at him.

"Good." He returned the smile and the storm raging in Alex's stomach calmed. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me for that." Chad was definitely growing on her. "So, who's the lucky lady that you're _not_ going on a _date_ with?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Mr. Cooper." She said over a sigh and he gasped dramatically.

"But Alexandra! I thought we were so close!" She laughed and shook her head at him.

"It's complicated." She offered after they sobered up and got closer to downtown. He nodded, but didn't press on, but she found herself spilling her guts to him anyway. "I mean, we really aren't dating. Like, we really aren't. We used to. That's the complicated part. But, like..." She paused for a bit longer than she meant to, but he let her think. "I can't really explain it without explaining it, Chad." He laughed and gave her a smile, one that she found all too easy to return.

"It's okay, Alex." The lightness in her chest let her know that it really was. With Chad, anyway.

**-x-**

Alex leaned against the car, trying her best not to laugh at the sight in front of her. Sonny had her arms wrapped around a guy's neck, screaming and laughing about something that Alex just couldn't decipher. At first she was worried, since the guy was easily twice Sonny's size, but when Chad did nothing but grin she figured Sonny would survive.

"Give. It. Back!" Sonny screeched between laughs, reaching for the bright pink cell phone the man held just out of her reach.

"Who's Alex? Is that your boyfriiiend?" Alex felt her face flush and cleared her throat between their screams. The man whipped around, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, the same expression on Sonny's face. Sonny recovered sooner than he did and ripped the phone out of his hand, giving a shout of victory and sliding off his back.

"You're an ass, Rob." She laughed, fixing her shirt and shoving her phone in her pocket. Rob just reached out and ruffled her hair. "Rob." She whined, slapping his hand away and fixing her hair. "Rob, this is Alex."

"Oh!" His voice higher than Alex thought it should have been for just a moment. "Well it's nice to meet you, little lady." He offered her his hand and Alex thought that he couldn't have been more accurate when he said "little." His hand was _huge_. Like, the size of her face kinda huge. He'd make a great bouncer. "I'm the security guard." Well, close enough.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Rob." She released his hand and tried not to feel like an ant when he stood up straight.

"Gotta go, Alex." Chad looped an arm around Alex's waist and kissed her hair. "Text me if you need me."

"Kay." Alex answered, somewhat shocked by his sudden affection, and waved to him as we walked to his car. She faced Sonny again, suddenly nervous now that it was just her, Sonny and a massive bodyguard. "So..."

"Right, yeah. See you Monday, Rob." Sonny said, stretching to give him a bear hug. Well, a cub hug in this case.

"Have fun, baby." He answered before releasing her. Sonny smiled at Alex as she passed her to walk to her car and Alex waved at Rob.

"See ya, Big Rob." He gave her a peace sign back and she grinned before turning to catch up with Sonny.

"Big Rob, huh?" Rob nodded his head and started back towards the studio. "I think I like that."

**-x-**

"So, how do you know Chad?" Sonny asked after pulling out of the parking lot.

"Oh." Alex said, taking a moment to process that Sonny had broken the silence. "He's my cousin."

"Oh." Sonny nodded, tapping her thumbs against the steering wheel. The air grew heavy and quiet again. This silence was killing her, but she wasn't about to say something. She spent a good five minutes debating whether to ask Sonny to turn on the radio or just taking control of it herself. It's not like Sonny would yell at her, Alex could feel the nervousness rolling off of her in waves. Thankfully, Sonny made the decision for her and tapped the touch screen a few times before a vaguely familiar song by the The Script came on.

Sonny started singing under her breath at the second verse and steadily grew louder. Alex didn't think she even realized she was doing it. She'd forgotten how beautiful Sonny's voice was. The song was horribly ironic though, and Alex tried her best to focus on the trees and houses going by instead of listening to Sonny. It didn't go very well. The song came to an end and the words flew out of Alex's mouth before she could even realize she was speaking.

"I've always loved it when you sing." Alex bit her lip hard and looked down at her lap. She tugged at the material of her tank top and mentally slapped herself, repeatedly.

"Thanks." Sonny mumbled over the new Maroon 5 song taking over. Alex didn't dare speak again for the rest of the ride.

**-x-**

They finally pulled up to an abnormally quiet Starbucks ten minutes later and Alex tried not to show how happy she was to be out of that car. She was almost sure the awkward air would suffocate her. They walked in and placed their order, but Sonny refused to let Alex pay for hers. (Which didn't help her feel like this certainly _wasn't_ the most awkward first date ever.)

The air conditioning was just a little too high in the coffee shop and the plastic booth felt like ice on the back of Alex's thighs. Not that she was complaining. The inside of Sonny's car felt like fire.

Alex busied herself with stirring the quickly melting whipped cream into her hot chocolate and tried to work up the nerve to say something. Sonny sat across from her, watching her patiently and tapping her fingers to the drum beat of a song only she could hear. Alex smiled. She probably didn't realize she was doing that, either.

Alex finally took a sip after the last islands of whipped cream disappeared and she took a deep breath as she set the hot cup back down.

"Why'd you leave?" She suddenly felt vulnerable, wide open and unarmed. She pulled her hot chocolate closer to her like a shield and listened to Sonny sigh, watched her finger still against her latte.

"I had to go home, Alex. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't stay in New York forever." She leaned back in her seat and sighed again. "I only went there for auditions. I'd heard of _so many_ great opportunities there, I begged my parents to let me stay with my uncle." Alex tried to block out the memory of a man in a suit answering an apartment door. "I was back in Wisconsin long enough to pack and move to California. For auditions, you know. Well, and my mom and dad got divorced."

Sonny picked auditions over Alex. She dug her nails into the sleeve around her cup and reminded herself to be mad. Not upset or heartbroken. _Mad._

"You could have told me. We could have made it work. You could have _stayed._"

"Long distance doesn't work, Alex." Sonny pointed out, but it sounded more like pleading. "I couldn't have stayed there. My mom wouldn't have moved to New York just because her fourteen year old daughter _said_ she was in _love._"

"Are you saying you _weren't_ in love with me?" A voice in the back of her head said that she was just being difficult, but she ignored it.

"What? No! No, that's not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?"

"I meant- God, Alex, you know what I meant."

"No, I don't!" She snapped, tightening her grip on her hot chocolate. "You mean you threw it all away, gave it all up, gave_ me _up, for auditions? Your career was more important than me? Then obviously you weren't in love with me, were you? Was it all just some big joke to you, Sonny? Was I just some summer fling that you could completely forget about when you made it to the big time?" Her voice was sharp and she could almost see the wounds they inflicted on Sonny.

"No! Will you shut up and listen to me for a second?" A few heads turned towards their table, but their eyes didn't leave each other's. "Yes, I threw it all away and I'm _sorry._ I didn't think it would be like this. We were fifteen, Alex! I thought maybe your parents were right, maybe Harper and Justin were right. We wouldn't last, we fought too much and we were so immature and just..." Sonny closed her eyes and took a deep breath and Alex sat back in her seat, face blank and mouth shut.

"I'm sorry." Sonny's voice was quiet and shaky now. She sounded the way Alex felt when she brought this up. The way Alex imagined she'd feel if she could feel anything right now. "I loved you. I loved you so much, but I was scared and I was stupid and I didn't have enough faith in us and I'm _sorry_. I can't even imagine how bad I hurt you when I left, but I hurt too. I cried and I cried and I started to call you so many times, but I never knew what to say and hung up before the phone could even ring."

Alex couldn't look at Sonny anymore. Her eyes examined the half-moons left by her small outburst and she swallowed hard past the growing lump in her throat.

"I know it isn't enough now, but I loved you. I loved you with everything inside of me, Alex."

Alex didn't dare look up. She clung to whatever resolve she had left and Harper's words echoed in her head, but she was running on fumes.

"I... I can't even..." Her own voice was thick with tears that she swore not to let fall and told herself to hold on just a little bit longer. Sonny nodded.

"Come on. I'll take you home."

**-x-**

Alex slumped against the front door after she shut it behind her and breathed in the cool air in the living room, let it fill her stale lungs and reveled in the feeling. The numbness was swept away and she took full advantage of the content feeling she had now, which she was sure would be swept away, too, as soon as she stepped into her bedroom.

"Hey, honey." Alex opened her eyes and smiled at Theresa, wearing an apron and wielding a cooking spoon in one hand. "Have fun?"

"Yeah! Chad's a blast. I'm gonna go catch up on some homework though." Her mom gave her a shocked look, but she just smiled and started towards the stairs.

"Alex?"

"Not now, Justin." She groaned before running up the stairs as fast as she could without tripping.

Justin frowned at his sister's retreating form and the sound of her bedroom door being shut unnerved him. He checked over his shoulder to see what their mom thought of it, but she was already back in the kitchen. He gave the stairs a long, hard look before setting the remote on the arm of the couch and following his sister upstairs.

**-x-**

"I said not now, Justin!" Alex yelled at the fist on the other side of her door and looked back down at the box in her lap. Just when she thought Justin walked away, he hesitantly opened her bedroom door and poked his head in.

"Alex..."

"Go away, Justin." She mumbled, all the fight gone out of her voice. "Please." He swallowed and gathered up all his courage to step into her room and shut the door behind him.

"Alex, talk to me." She looked up at him with puffy eyes and tear tracks on her cheeks. To anyone on the outside looking in, Justin knew it probably seemed like Alex hurt him in life more than she ever helped him, but his heart felt like it was made of lead when he saw how broken she looked. He eased himself on the foot of the bed in front of her and gave the box in her lap a questioning look.

Alex sniffed and gave the picture under the glass a similar look. She had all the answers now and she wasn't sure what she was asking, but...

"What happened, Alex?" She thought she could hold it all in. This was only Justin, for God's sake. Her annoying older brother that always got in her way. But he was _Justin._ The Justin that always helped her when she got into trouble, always helped her with her magic homework and carried her in the house when she fell off her bike when she was six. He was the same Justin that came in night after night after Sonny left and just held her until her sobs died down enough so she could sleep.

She didn't know if she wanted to tell him or not, but she couldn't keep the words from spilling out of her mouth when she looked up at him. So she told him everything. About that first day at the studio, seeing Sonny again, screaming at her, about going to New York to ask Harper for advice, about Chad, about today. And when the story was finished and she couldn't get another word out, she found herself curled into his side with her tears on his light blue polo, just like those countless nights back home. He rubbed her back soothingly and Alex's frantic sobbing slowed to sniffles.

Her blinking turned into closing her eyes for long periods of time and she was almost asleep when she felt his chest rumble with his words.

"That's a hell of a story." She laughed shortly but didn't open her eyes.

"I know." She murmured, shifting closer to him.

"I'm always here for you, Alex. I know I'm not Harper, but I'm always here for you, okay?"

"Kay." The words woke her up just enough for her heart to swell and she sighed. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Alex." The rumbling of his chest lulled her to sleep.

**-x-**

**Don't forget to review, babes. ;)**


	12. XII Caught

The next morning when Alex swung the door open to her studio, the last thing she expected to see was her father, standing with his arms crossed and his brow furrowed in front of her easel.

At first, she just stood in the door way, hair tied up in a messy ponytail, wearing her fluffy sheep pajama pants, and stared at him. Apparently, it was throw-awkward-moments-at-Alex week.

"Hey, daddy." He picked his head up and looked over his shoulder at her.

"Oh, hey princess." He glanced at the portrait still on display and cleared his throat. "You wanna go out for breakfast?"

After last night, the last thing she wanted to do was talk about a painting of her ex girlfriend over breakfast, but she so rarely saw her dad smile anymore, she didn't hesitate to answer.

"Sure."

**-x-**

She adored iHop. She didn't care how old she was, she was going to get smiley face pancakes when she was fifty. Jerry sat across from her, taking a bite of his toast and chuckling at her gouging the poor pancake's left eye out.

"So..." He started and Alex froze with the bite of banana just outside her open mouth, her lips already pulled back and her teeth ready for action. "That portrait looks very familiar." Alex remembered what she was doing and swiped the bite off her fork, chewing slowly to work up the courage to respond to this. "Do I know her?"

"Maybe." She replied, working on cutting her pancake up like a pie, earning a little smirk from Jerry.

"Do you know her?"

"I used to." He nodded, taking in the information and taking a bite of his own pancakes.

"I remember her. Sonny, right?" She hummed in agreement. "What happened with her?"

Alex shrugged and Jerry waited. He didn't have to wait long.

"We broke up. Kind of. I guess." She swirled her slice of pancake in a small pool of syrup, slowly losing her appetite. "Well, she left." Alex dropped her fork and took a deep breath. "She just. Left me." She couldn't meet her dad's eyes. Wasn't she tough, strong, bratty Alex Russo? No anymore. Life seemed determined to break down that shield.

"Did you love her?" He didn't sound accusing or upset. The fact that her sick father felt the need to comfort her made her stomach turn.

"I did. I really did, Dad. More than art." They were both quiet for a long time, but before the silent could make her feel too anxious, Jerry cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter.

"Wow." He said around a sigh.

"Yeah." Another pause and Alex was almost sure she wasn't going to finish her pancake.

"So, why are you suddenly painting your runaway bride?" Alex choked out a short laugh and shook her head.

"You won't believe it if I tell you."

"Oh, just try me. After those baseball players liked Max's mystery sandwich, I'll believe just about anything." Her stomach flopped again and Alex was wondering what the point was of breakfast.

"She works with Chad."

"You can't be serious."

"I totally am." Jerry blinked at her and shook his head.

"That is crazy."

"I know, right?" She said, grinning.

"So, what happened?"

"I don't even know. We fought. I think I called her a cold-hearted Ellen Degeneres." He laughed with her and she realized how much of the tension had seeped away. "And then, we had this weird. Like. Meeting."

"And by 'meeting' do you mean date?"

"No!" Alex said almost too quickly. "God, no. I guess it was just another argument. We just, I don't know, scheduled this one."

"What happened that time?" Alex paused, thinking about how she was opening up to her dad like he was a girlfriend she was having a get together with. But, really, who knew how much longer she had with him? She shook off the thought and focused on the conversation again.

"She told me why she left. She went to Hollywood. She was only in New York for auditions. I guess I was just a bonus. And when auditions were running low, she just packed up and left. Without saying a word to me."

"Oh, honey..." Alex couldn't stand sympathetic eyes coming from her cancer ridden father. "I'm so sorry."

"I know. I'm alright though, I'm fine. Justin helped a lot, actually. It was weird. I think it's the closest we've ever been. Kinda sucks it was only because I was so fucked up."

Alex realized what she said a little too late and when she saw the look on her dad's face, she snorted so hard it felt like she tore a hole in her throat, which only set her dad off. The looks from the other customers only made them laugh harder, and by the time they settled down, their bellies hurt and half the restaurant was ready to call the men in white.

Alex shook her head, her stomach sore and her face red. She was crazy, but at least she knew where she got it from.

Her dad took big gulps from his ice water and sighed out, "Do you think you'll talk to her again?" Alex shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe. Things just... still feel unfinished. I don't..." She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to figure out what she was saying. "I miss her." As she said that, her chest felt lighter and heavier at the same time. Like she'd let go of a keep secret, but given herself a death sentence. Under her breath, she chuckled at her dramatics.

"Well, I know that if your mom just suddenly left me, I couldn't just let go." Alex looked up from her plate of cold pancakes and studied her dad's face. She almost couldn't believe her dad _believed_ her. If she would have told him back then how much she loved Sonny, he would have patted her head and told her to get back to work.

She slid out of her side of the booth and into her dad's side, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head against him. His arm hugged her close and he kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks, daddy."

"Always, honey."

She hoped so.

**-x-**

**Ahhaha... Soooo... How're you guys? ^^;**

**LOL I'M SORRY D: I know I'm awful. I was just gonna write an epilogue for this so you guys knew how it ended, but I decided to try continuing it. And. Well. You guys tell me how I did. ;)**


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